Hi!
Okay...in no semblance of order. No, admissions counselors have no control over LOA's. They are there to advise, assist, and inform the candidate as to their particular situations. I use them for queries I may have about a candidate's file: "I just learned "X", can we get that in their file, they just scored "YYY" on their SAT, I know the scores will take 3 weeks, can you put them in as a "tentative" if I send you a copy of the score results, etc."
A video chat...you could certainly email them and ask however I think the odds of that happening are extremely (with a HUGE E) remote. There are 10 counselors for the entire program. Or put more graphically, those 10 counselors cover all candidates, applicants, and queries from around the globe. And at the end of the day, your face won't be remembered, there are just too many. In Arizona alone, we had 241 candidates for the class of 2024 and we already have over 100 applicants for the class of 2025. What's that mean? That the counselors are BUSY!! SUPER BUSY!
There's plenty of solid information here on the forum to answer the questions you seek, plus with a little research, you'll probably find the answer to most of your questions. However, if you don't, then I'm here and so are many others that work this process every year. I'm an evaluator and mentor ALO so I know both sides.
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83